Who is commentating Minnesota Lynx at Seattle Storm on KARE 11 / Victory+?

Match date: 22 July 2026

By the time Minnesota Lynx visit the Seattle Storm in WNBA regular-season action, viewers in the UK and US will want to know where to tune in and who is on commentary. For this matchup, the broadcast is listed on KARE 11 / Victory+, with Sloane Martin on main commentary and Lea B. Olsen joining as co-commentator.

That pairing gives this game a distinctly Minnesota flavour. Martin is widely recognised as the voice of the Lynx, and CBS Minnesota has described her as the broadcaster who sits above Section 132 at Target Center to deliver play-by-play and bring fans post-game conversations with standout players.[1] The Lynx themselves list Martin as their sideline reporter and fill-in play-by-play broadcaster, noting that she also serves as the lead women’s basketball play-by-play voice on Big Ten Network and calls other sports including softball, volleyball and hockey.[7]

Martin’s rise has been built across radio and television rather than through one single lane. A profile on the Lynx’s own site says the club hired her as its radio play-by-play broadcaster, while a separate broadcaster Q&A notes that she became the first woman in the Twin Cities to serve as the main broadcaster for a professional sports team.[8][4] She has also expanded beyond the WNBA, with FOX’s talent page saying she worked NBC Sports coverage at the 2024 Paris Summer Olympics and continues to handle women’s basketball on the Big Ten Network.[12]

Lea B. Olsen brings even deeper Lynx continuity to the booth. The team’s broadcast partners page says Olsen is entering her fifteenth year as the Lynx television colour analyst, and it also credits her with work as analyst for the Minnesota State Girls High School Basketball Tournament and host for the boys’ tournament coverage.[7] That long run makes her one of the most familiar analytical voices in Minnesota basketball broadcasting.

For viewers in the UK, the key point is that this is not an American national-network showcase such as ESPN, ABC or TNT; instead, it is a team and regional-style broadcast centred on the Lynx’s own media crew. In practical terms, that usually means a more local, detailed presentation, with more emphasis on player context, tactical observation and club-specific storylines than a national telecast would typically offer.[7][11]

The matchup itself is part of the WNBA regular season, and both teams have become major drawcards in the league’s current era. Minnesota’s broadcast operation has leaned heavily on continuity, with the Lynx announcing Martin’s return to the booth and Olsen’s continued role in its TV plans.[11] That matters for fans who follow individual broadcasters as closely as they follow the teams, because chemistry in the booth often shapes how the game feels to watch.

For readers unfamiliar with the Lynx broadcaster, Martin’s career path is particularly notable. She has built a profile as a versatile American sportscaster, handling women’s college basketball, high school tournaments and WNBA duties, while also reporting for radio news in Minnesota.[3][7] That breadth helps explain why she is trusted with marquee assignments such as Lynx games, where pace, clarity and knowledge of the league are essential.

Seattle fans and neutral WNBA followers should also expect Olsen to provide the kind of veteran colour analysis that comes from years around the franchise. Her long tenure with the Lynx has given her a strong sense of the team’s identity, and she has become a familiar part of the club’s broadcast brand.[7] A detailed team broadcast profile is available here: Minnesota Lynx broadcast partners.

What to watch for on the broadcast: Martin’s play-by-play will likely set the rhythm, while Olsen’s analysis should add tactical context around Minnesota’s attack, Seattle’s defensive responses and the individual matchups that decide WNBA games at this level. For fans in both Britain and America, that combination makes this one of the more informative regional-style broadcasts on the schedule.

Article generated: 22 July 2026, 20:00 GMT